In a dream deal for the fans, Chennai Super Kings spent Rs 9.75 crore to sign the veteran spin all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin in the IPL mega auction 2025 on Sunday. Ashwin returned home after a long gap of 9 years as the CSK beat Rajasthan Royals to sign the star cricketer.
As expected, Chennai opened the bidding for Ashwin which triggered big celebrations in the crowd in Jeddah. Royal Challengers Bengaluru also showed an interest in Ashwin but were quick to withdraw after the bidding war got feisty. Lucknow Super Giants also cooled off their interest after two bids but CSK and RR went toe-to-toe for the experienced player.
Chennai Super Kings also signed back New Zealand stars Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra and managed to bag Rahul Tripathi for just Rs 3.4 crore. After the first four sets, Ashwin emerged as the most expensive signing for the five-time IPL winners.
Ashwin, 38, was with Chennai from 2009 to 2015 where he took 15 or more wickets in three editions. Ashwin spent his last three seasons with Rajasthan Royals where he led them to the 2022 finals with 12 wickets.
In the 2024 edition, Ashwin took 9 wickets and scored 86 runs for the Royals. Ashwin last played a T20I game in November 2022 but was sensational with a bat in the Tamil Nadu Premier League 2024 with champions Dindigul Dragons.
Ashwin's arrival at the Chepauk significantly strengthens CSK's spin-heavy bowling attack. Chennai had already retained Ravindra Jadeja and reinforced spin all-rounders Noor Ahmad and Rachin Ravindra to boost their spin options.
Meanwhile, Chennai enjoyed a successful auction with seven new signings on day one of the auction. Chennai's first signing came through a recently released Kiwi batter Devon Conway, who cost just Rs 6.25 crore. CSK also signed former Rachin Ravindra for just 4 crore by using their RTM card (right-to-match) very wisely.
